CursorFX is a utility which allows you to have much more flexibility in the cursors
you use to interact with Windows. CursorFX users can create and use cursors that
look and feel far superior to anything you've ever seen before! Best of all, it's
really easy to create your own super-charged cursors!

DesktopX is a program that lets users build their own desktops. It does this by
giving users access to desktop objects. These objects can come in all sizes and
shapes. They can have scripts attached to them, they can be combined together to
form mini applications or turned into an entire desktop.

Publisher:

Stardock Corporation

Developer:

Stardock Corporation

Stardock DeskScapes is a program that allows users to have animated wallpaper on
their Windows 8, Windows 7, XP or Vista desktop. It supports playing video as animated wallpaper,
dynamically generated content as animated wallpaper, and more.

IconPackager is a program that allows users to change nearly all of their Windows
icons at once by applying "packages" of icons. A package of icons contains
icons to replace most of the common icons on your Windows PC.

Icons

Icons for applications and folders.

LogonStudio is a free program that allows users to change their Windows 7, Vista
and XP logon screens. It comes with several logon screens to choose from, along
with thousands that are available online.

ObjectDock™ is a program that enables users to organize their shortcuts, programs
and running tasks into an attractive and fun animated Dock. By allowing users to
have more control over how they organize their desktop, users can take control of
their desktop icons and shortcuts to have them be available when where and how they
need them.

ObjectDock™ is a program that enables users to organize their shortcuts, programs
and running tasks into an attractive and fun animated Dock. By allowing users to
have more control over how they organize their desktop, users can take control of
their desktop icons and shortcuts to have them be available when where and how they
need them.

Show off your favorite desktop configuration by uploading a screenshot of your desktop!

SoundPackager brings customization of your auditory experience to Object Desktop!
Users can now choose from "sound packages" to enhance their Windows desktop
experience. Over 30 different system sounds are supported; unique new Stardock Design
sound packages are included with the package.

Microsoft Windows® 8 is shipped without the "Start" menu. Stardock heard the cries from Windows 8
users. We put the "Start" menu back in Windows 8. We accurately recreated the most used desktop
feature billions of users depend on every day and packed it with additional functionality.

Microsoft Windows® 8 is shipped without the "Start" menu. Stardock heard the cries from Windows 8
users. We put the "Start" menu back in Windows 8. We accurately recreated the most used desktop
feature billions of users depend on every day and packed it with additional functionality.

Theme Manager is a program that changes the look and feel of the entire Windows
environment. It works by talking to existing desktop enhancement programs and then
applying a MyColors or Suite file. In short, Theme Manager is a front-end to other
desktop enhancement programs to simplify the user experience.

WindowBlinds changes the look and feel of your Windows desktop by applying visual
styles to your entire Windows environment. When a visual style is applied, they
change nearly every elements of the Windows GUI such as title bars, push buttons,
the Start bar, menu and more.

View Gallery List

View a list of all of the different galleries available in WinCustomize, which you
can then browse individually.

Explore All

Explore all available galleries on WinCustomize.

Customize This Menu

This option is only available for subscribers of WinCustomize. If you are a subscriber
it will allow you to select which categories you would like to see in this menu
from a list of all galleries available on the site. This information will be stored
on your account for all your future visits.

Yesterday I mentioned that there's no Metro version of the Windows essentials utilities. This remains a baffling issue as a Live Movie Maker and a Live Writer would be very nice to haven.

I will say that the Metro version of Skype is nice. Which brings me to today's observation: Microsoft has got to come up with a distinct classification for WinRT apps because it's impossible to do a decent search on the terms Modern and UI. As in, what is the best Modern UI Facebook client.

The nice thing about the term Metro is that it's distinct. Like iOS or Android, it lends itself to being easily searchable and instantly recognizeable as being different from a normal Windows app. Modern UI won't cut it. We need a term or else we'll end up stuck with something like WinRT which in itself is problematic. I think Microsoft should have just bit the bullet and paid whatever they had to pay to keep referring to these apps as Metro apps.

Surface isn't competing against my iPad for use right now. Instead, it is competing for use with my MacBook Air. It's ironic that Surface shines the most as a notebook rather than as a tablet. I can, and have, used it as a tablet but I find it most useful in using the upgraded keyboard with it. Frankly, if it didn't have so many rough edges (not the hardware, but the software) I'd be tempted to recommend it over any ultra portable out there. It's that good.

On a serious note, I really hope that MS irons out these issues with Surface by the time I'm ready to purchase one. I currently have a 10.1" Android pad with a protective leather case/come keyboard and find it quite useful, but I'd rather have a Surface with Win 8 Pro on it, me thinks. I figure it would allow me to achieve more on the actual device itself plus I could sync it with my Win 8 PC to open up ever greater posibilities.

Well let me restate my opinion. Linux is more secure than Windows ever will be. It is harder to infect a Linux machine versus infecting a Windows machine. Not that it matters. I'm back to using XP until Linux gets better support for games. May be a long time.

Well let me restate my opinion. Linux is more secure than Windows ever will be. It is harder to infect a Linux machine versus infecting a Windows machine. Not that it matters. I'm back to using XP until Linux gets better support for games. May be a long time.

It is not harder to infect a linux-based machine, it is only easier to infect a windows-based machine (mostly due to user ignorance). Most linux users have at least dabbled in user-priviledge and wouldn't run things using ADMIN credentials, while on the flipside most windows users have no idea what user priviledge even is. Windows with the advent of 95 was tailored for user-ease-of-use. User-ease-of-use and the indiscriminate use of things like UPnP makes for an inherently insecure operating system. Once MS turned that around and began leaning towards "least-priviledge", things changed drastically. Of course if every user disables the UAC, runs everything from the browser to their smiley-downloader with ADMIN credentials who is really to blame? The OS I suppose?

Also, XP? You're talking about the world's most attacked OS platform there........you sure you wanna stick with your choice? I mean, after MS retires it you're going to be "in the wild" on your own! No more patches....Get ready to feel really really naked.......

The continuity of Brad's thread went south at an early stage....around response #1 [yes, my fault]... but somehow has become Linux-is-better-than-windows-because....

It isn't, really. It's just mainly because no-one in the Virus-making game can be bothered ruining the computer experience of the three users of it when there are millions of Windows users to torment instead.

There are idiots using BOTH platforms [or all three to be closer to the mark]....the difference is ONLY that the idiots using Linux actually look the part with their propeller hats....

Kona....you tend to change your opinions of what-OS-is-best-for-me-now more frequently than you change your undies.

It'd be a safe bet that the LEAST 'secure' OS currently in use is XP, and the LEAST 'practical' OS currently in use is Linux [so much stuff people will 'want' to run is windows-specific].

Give up....go out and smell the roses.... and save up for the time/chance to run a system with Win7 [or 8, once Stardock has fixed it]...

Also, XP? You're talking about the world's most attacked OS platform there........you sure you wanna stick with your choice? I mean, after MS retires it you're going to be "in the wild" on your own! No more patches....Get ready to feel really really naked.......

I don't really have a choice. No funds for a new machine and this one would not run Windows 8 or 7, let alone Vista.